Swinging seesaw



NOV. 22, 1949 c, L 2,488,889

SWINGING SEESAW Filed June 29, 1946 INVENTOR LLOYD -C. ALLI E ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1949 SWINGING SEESAW Lloyd G. Allie, Duluth, Minn, assignor to Duluth Manufacturing & Galvanizing, Inc., Duluth, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application June 29, 1946, Serial No. 680,408

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to teeter totters and more particularly to a structure therefor which provides, among other features, a composite motion in use.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a teeter totter structure which effects combined tilting and longitudinal swinging movement of the teeter totter bar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a teeter totter of the type referred to including means varying both the tilting and longitudinal swinging movements of the teeter totter bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a teeter totter which may be easily assembled and disassembled and which, when disassembled, may be easily transported or stored.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the one sheet of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a teeter totter assembly embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical side sectional view of the teeter totter structure shown in Fig. 1, wherein the tilting and longitudinal swinging movements of the teeter totter bar are depicted;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view illustrating a preferred construction of the bar;

Fig. 4 is an end view of my teeter totter stand with the parts collapsed for movement or storage; and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the teeter totter stand which also shows the parts in their collapsed positions.

In the drawings, I have shown various views of a preferred form of my teeter totter for illustrative purposes. In the embodiment of my invention depicted, a central stand ll! supports and provides a fulcrum for a bar l2.

To provide portability and ease of storage, my stand it: is made of relatively light but sturdy metal parts. It includes four legs I 3, divided into pairs which are connected together at their upper ends to form inverted V-shaped side frames, which frames are connected together in spaced and opposed relationship by a top cross rod M which extends through all four legs at their apex. Intermediate their ends and desirably near the bottom, the opposed legs of the spaced side frames are connected by brace rods l5. One of the brace rods l5 extends through a bore at one end of a tie strap [6 to carry said tie strap for swinging movement about the axis of the brace rod. Near its other end the tie strap has longitudinally spaced notches H in one side which are adapted separately to receive the other of the brace rods when the stand is set up, thereby longitudinally to brace the stand and to determine its height and the longitudinal separation of the bottoms of the legs. At their bottom ends the legs are preferably bent to provide feet l8 upon which the stand rests against a support on the ground.

Although the top cross rod I4 may well be used as a stationary fulcrum for the bar l2, my preferred structure includes a pendulum type of fulcrum which swings during the rocking of the bar to provide a composite swinging and rocking movement.

To efiect such moveemnt, I have provided a pair of suspension straps l9 hung from and carried for swinging movement by the top cross rod as and disposed in spaced relationship on the rod is adjacent the upper ends of the legs [3. Preferably, the suspension straps have therein a series of longitudinally spaced and aligned bores 20 for receiving and carrying a fulcrumrod 22 at any one of a plurality of positions. Changing the position of the fulcrum rod relative to the suspension strips not only changes the height of the bar l 2, but also alters the radius of the swinging movement of the fulcrum by varying its distance from the top cross rod I l.

The erected position of the stand I0 is shown in Fig. 1, while Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the positions of the parts when collapsed for movement or storage. For ease of assembly and disassembly, as well as to eliminate complicated and expensive structure, I prefer to utilize cotter keys for holding each of the various rods in place relative to the legs and suspension strips. By preference, each rod has axially displaced holes near its ends for receiving cotter keys on each side of the connected legs and straps.

As shown in Fig. 3, and to provide a bar commensurate in structure and collapsibility with the stand [0, I have utilized a construction embodying separable parts and sections. At its center my preferred bar has a longitudinally extending pipe section 23. At each end, the center pipe section fits over and telescopically engages similar extension pipes 24 which are coaxial. At their opposite ends, seats 25 are secured to the extension pipes. Cotter pins, which extend laterally through the telescopically engaged pipes, provide removable fastening elements for holding the bar portions together.

A short distance in front of each seat 25 a sub- 7 3 stantially T-shaped handle 26 projects laterally from the bar on its upper side and is held in place by means, such as a cotter pin.

On the bottom side of the center pipe section 23, I have secured thereto a corrugated plate 21 having a width somewhat less than the length of the fulcrum rod and presenting a plurality of notches displaced longitudinally of the bar for movably engaging the fulcrum rod at a plurality of positions displaced longitudinally of the bar, so as to provide an adustment of the arm lengths of the bar to compensate for weights of users,

The composite movement of the teeter totter during operation is illustrated in Fig. 2. When the bar is tilted in one direction, as depicted in dotted lines at IZa, the suspension straps I9 and the fulcrum carried thereby are swung to the side of the stand toward the lower end of the bar, as indicated at 19a. With the bar oppositely tilted, as indicated in dot and dash lines at IZb, the fulcrum swings again toward the low end of the bar to move the suspension straps to positions such as that shown at I95. It will, therefore, be readily understood that the movements of the bar and the occupants are a composite of rocking and swinging motion.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A teeter totter comprising a stand including two pairs of supporting legs in opposed spaced relation, the legs of each pair having their upper ends pivotally connected together and in overlapped relation and the legs diverging to their lower ends, a horizontal fulcrum rod extending through the overlapping ends of both pairs of legs, an elongated depending strap disposed adacent each pair of legs and having its upper end pivotally supported on said fulcrum rod, said straps having vertically spaced pairs of transversely aligned apertures, a second fulcrum rod selectively engageable within aligned apertures in said straps for varying the linear travel of the second fulcrum rod for a given angular range of swinging movement of the straps on said first fulcrum rod, a rectangular fulcrum plate of a width substantially equal to the distance between said straps and having a longitudinal series of alternating grooves and ridges extending the full width of the plate, said grooves being adapted to be selectively seated on either of said fulcrum rods, a tubular member secured to the upper surface of the plate and extending longitudinally thereof midway between the side edges, and a pair of rider supporting bars having adjacent ends thereof telescopically engaged within the opposite ends of the tubular member, where'io said fulcrum plate and rider supporting arms may be selectively longitudinally adjustably supported for teeter totter movements on the first fulcrum rod or on the second fulcrum rod at selected vertical positions.

LLOYD C. ALLIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 800,434 Fairbanks Sept. 26, 1905 1,051,796 Zimmermann Jan. 28, 1913 1,552,841 Hector Sept. 8, 1925 2,431,138 Ressinger Nov. 18, 1947 2,433,735 Buczkowski Dec. 30, 1947 

